Here you can read about the University's environmental policy, environmental management system and environmental certification and you as a student will find information about the environmental work on campus.
Our environmental policy sets out the overall direction of our environmental work: through education and research and in collaboration with industry and society, we shall actively work for sustainable development and prevent and minimise the negative environmental impact of our activities. The environmental policy, together with the Climate Framework, forms the basis for our environmental work.
Here you can read the University's environmental policy
Here you can read about the Climate Framework
At the University of Gävle, we work in a structured and continuous way to reduce our negative environmental impact and increase the positive effects on the environment. Environmental issues are integrated into the planning, implementation, monitoring and improvement of our activities and we ensure that we comply with laws and other requirements in the environmental field. Through regular review and evaluation, we can see how we need to adapt our environmental performance to ensure continuous improvement. Such a systematic approach is called an environmental management system.
The environmental management system is part of the University's work on sustainable development and deals with direct environmental impacts, such as resource use and carbon dioxide emissions. Indirect environmental impacts and sustainable development in education and research are dealt with in the framework of the quality system.
The University's environmental management system has been certified according to ISO 14001 since July 2004.
The University's environmental management work is an integral part of its day-to-day operations. General issues are handled by the University's management, while issues relating to specific parts of the organisation are dealt with by the environmental groups that exist at each unit and in which all unit and department heads are included.
The environmental management work is coordinated by a central environmental coordinator and a convenor of the environmental audit group. Each unit has local environmental coordinators who assist the unit's managers in their environmental work, and internal environmental auditors who carry out regular audits of the University's environmental work.
The document Organisation of the University's Environmental Management System Pdf, 293 kB. (in Swedish) describes roles and meeting series in the University's environmental management work in more detail.
In order to set goals and plan measures to improve the impact we have on the environment; we need to know where we stand. Through an environmental assessment, we map the impact of our activities on the environment and identify significant environmental aspects, the areas where the environmental impact is greatest. The environmental assessment also includes an analysis of the risks and opportunities for our operations and the needs and expectations of stakeholders.
The significant environmental aspects identified in our operations are education, research, collaboration, procurement and purchasing, and business travel.
Here you can download the most recent environmental assessment Pdf, 345 kB. (in Swedish), which was done in 2020. The environmental assessment was later supplemented with an updated environmental aspects list Pdf, 387 kB., a SWOT analysis Pdf, 212 kB. and a stakeholder analysis Pdf, 415 kB. (all in Swedish)
Based on our significant environmental aspects, we set overall sustainability objectives, which are then concretized in detailed objectives and activities in the units' organisational plans.
The University´s Environmental work is continuously monitored in the environmental groups and with the University's management and is regularly reviewed by internal environmental auditors. Once a year, an external environmental audit is carried out by a certification company, which checks whether we continue to meet the requirements for certification according to ISO 14001. Deviations and suggestions for improvement resulting from environmental audits or reported by employees and students are an important part of the continuous improvement process.
Each year, the results achieved are summarized in a report to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Education.
The summary of results, together with the audit results, deviations and suggestions for improvement, form part of the basis for management decisions on how the environmental management system is to be developed and the focus of the environmental work.
How to travel to the University in an environmentally friendly way
You can easily get to the campus on foot, by bike or by bus from central Gävle. Here you will find directions and transport links.
Recycling on campus
On campus there are sorting bins in most corridors. We need your help to sort correctly! The bins indicate which waste you should dispose of where.
Do you see something we can do better?
If you are a student and have a suggestion on how we can improve the University's environmental work, or if you want to report a deviation from the University's environmental procedures, you can send an email to miljo@hig.se.
If you want to submit a report concerning the working environment, premises, or IT equipment, you can find the form for this on the student website.
Swop Shop
In the University's Swop Shop you can leave clothes you no longer need and exchange them for other items. The Swop Shop is located in building 13 on floor 3 and is open to both students and staff.
Do you want to be part of the University's systematic environmental work?
If you want to become a student representative in one of the University's environmental groups, contact Gävle University´s student union.
Central environmental coordinator
Ola Jeppsson
Phone: 026-64 84 98
E-mail: ola.jeppsson@hig.se
